Lights in Shadow
by Raberba girl
Summary: Roxas & Xion - best friends, maybe something more. AU so far. For RokuShi Day.
1. Wistful

Lights in Shadow

A Kingdom Hearts fanfiction series by Raberba girl

_For Roxas/Xion Day, 20 June 2012_

Summary: Roxas & Xion - best friends, maybe something more. AU so far. For RokuShi Day.

Introduction: So...I didn't really think of RokuShi as a couple at first, mostly because I don't really like Xion in canon. But then it was Taliax's poems, I believe, that made me start shipping them, especially as I got more familiar with the Days manga where they're so adorable together.

So then I wrote _Christmas at the Castle_, which is kind of like the foundation of my Kingdom Hearts headcanon, and I'd _intended_ to ship-tease RokuShi in it. They ended up in a very cute sibling relationship instead. XD I think that's the main reason why I pretty much always write them as siblings now, they work better that way and, after discovering how much I love platonic relationships (way more than romance), I've come to prefer them that way as well.

So if I get any more RokuShi ideas to add onto the end of this series, I'm pretty sure most if not all of them will be platonic, but I _did_ want to write at least one romance, just to say I did. ^^ Before this, all I had in the way of RokuShi romance was an extremely brief reference in the still-unpublished full version of the "Fell From The Sky" theme for my _Fire & Moonlight_ series. RokuShi Day seemed like a good excuse to try my hand at it for real.

**Wistful (rough draft)  
**

Summary: Oh yeah, I can do that now.

A/N: Takes place in the same universe as the "Fell From The Sky" theme of _Fire & Moonlight_.

o.o.o

He was listening to Axel, he really was. He was just kind of...staring at Xion at the same time.

"...because I think it'll be fun," Axel was saying. They were eating lunch in the courtyard, since the weather was nice enough to sit outside. "He can't be more than mid-twenties, even if he's grumpy enough to be sixty..."

_'I wish I could kiss her,'_ Roxas thought, vaguely wistful. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off her, with her glossy dark hair shining in the sun and her blue eyes so much like his own, fixed seriously on Axel. Her smooth fair skin, the way her throat moved as she swallowed... She was eating a cookie at the moment. _'I bet she'd taste nice if I kissed her right now.'_

Then a huge DUH moment. _'Oh. Wait. I'm her boyfriend. I'm allowed to kiss her and I won't get in trouble, right?'_

"So you want us to get stuff for him, too?" Xion was asking.

"Yeah - I mean, you don't have to spend munny or anything; really, it's more like a joke. Find something around the house, wrap it up and sneak it onto his desk..."

_'Should I just...right now?'_ Roxas wondered uncertainly. Scoot over, pull her close- She was still looking at Axel. That might be a little awkward, trying to do that when she was concentrating so hard.

"I think I've got something in mind," Xion said thoughtfully.

_'You know what, I don't even care. I want to know what it's like.'_ Roxas moved close, pulled her head around - as he expected, it was a little hard; she was so focused on Axel, now her eyes growing wide with surprise as she looked at him - _'I'm your boyfriend now. I get to do this.'_ Lips touching lips, hesitation, then he could _feel_ her smiling and she set her hand behind his head to pull him closer and pressed her lips harder into his.

He'd had his eyes closed, but finally he opened them and they just gazed at each other for a while. She was so close. He'd never seen her face this close before. Her eyes were so blue.

Abruptly, he remembered Axel, and looked up to find their friend staring at them in utter astonishment. "Oh...sorry," Roxas realized. "I didn't mean to interrupt you." He'd thought it would be quicker. And he hadn't expected Axel to just _stop talking_.

"H-How?" Axel sputtered. "WHEN?"

"Yesterday, after school," Xion said, a little shyly. "Roxas asked me, and I said yes because I like him a lot, too. I just didn't realize it was _that_ way until he told me. We talked on the phone a lot last night."

"You talked sooooo much that you apparently never got a chance to tell _me_," Axel grumbled.

Oops. "Xion and I are going out now," Roxas told him.

"Um, yeah, I figured. Whatever. So anyway, I have a plan - we need to figure out Mr. Tsukino's birthday, and I bet there's employee files in the front office or something, right?"

"Is this gonna get us in trouble?" Xion said warily.

Axel sounded almost gleeful as he answered, "Definitely. Roxas, you'll get to punch Seifer."

Roxas grinned, already liking the sound of this very much. "I'm listening."

o.o.o

Author's Notes: Just a light kiss for now... Lol, I just realized that Xion did the same thing to Axel, with Roxas doing the blah blah blahing in the background, in one of those canon AkuShi fics I never intend to post. XD Axel's reaction was totally different, though...

I wanted to write a little RokuShi drabble in this universe, since it was the first one I managed to do romance for them in. X3


	2. Teddy Bear

**Lights in Shadow: ****Teddy Bear (rough draft)  
**

**A Kingdom Hearts fanfic by Raberba girl**

_For Roxas/Xion Day, 20 June 2012_

_...EXCEPT that this ended up as way more AkuSai and AkuSaiRoku than RokuShi. I don't know why I even bother. -.-_

Summary: Roxas has to figure out how to sew a teddy bear. AU; light romance for RokuShi Day.

o.o.o

Roxas was thirteen now and too old to need to be picked up from school, which was kind of a disappointment. Walking home with Saïx was all well and good, but Axel missed his little brother's company...well, about as much as he had expected, even after all this time. Just because he had expected it didn't mean he had to like it, though.

Home at last, he knocked on his brother's bedroom door as usual and peeked inside, finding Roxas sprawled facedown on the bed in a depressed sort of way.

"What's up, Rox-my-socks?" Axel asked, keeping his voice light in order to hide his concern. He came inside and stood gazing down at the back of that spiky-locked head.

"Shisgowaymumbleyaz. Annogahyeeah."

"Huh?"

Roxas lifted his head and announced, "Xion's going away for Christmas, and don't call me that," before dropping his face back into the coverlet.

"Oh." He sat down on the edge of the bed, still thoughtful. "Huh." Roxas had only recently begun to realize that his feelings for his long-time best friend had grown a bit past the platonic stage. In fact, he was supposed to have made his confession today. "Did you...get to tell her?"

Roxas sighed and rolled over onto his back. "Yeah. She was all happy. Then at lunch I was like, 'Hey, Christmas is coming up, we should make plans,' and then she was like, 'Oh no! I'm so sorry Roxas,' and she's going halfway across the country for the entire winter break."

Axel patted him sympathetically. "Well, that stinks."

"Yeah."

"..."

"..."

"...Want some ice cream?"

"Yeah."

In the kitchen, Axel pulled a couple of ice cream pops out of the freezer and handed one to his brother, who took it morosely. "What would you have wanted to do if you could?"

"I dunno...hang out, go on a date, buy her a present..." He sighed deeply. "That's so _lame_. I won't even be able to give her a present on Christmas, I'll have to either give it to her super-early or really late. It won't mean the same."

"I think you're taking it too hard. Just make the most of the time you do have together, okay? There'll be plenty of time to make it up to her. Her birthday's in January, right?"

Roxas glumly took a bite of ice cream.

"You want me to help you shop for her?"

A pause, and then Roxas finally smiled a little. "Yeah, that would be good. Thanks, Axel."

"Sure thing, kid. Stick around after school tomorrow and I'll pick you up, okay?"

"Okay."

The next day, Roxas was in low spirits until Xion finally told him that he was making her sad with his depressed face, so he started smiling a lot to cheer her up. It was nice, getting to hold her hand in the hallways and kiss...well, her cheek anyway. He wasn't sure he wanted to try anything more so soon, with people around to see if he messed up. For now, it was enough just to see the happy sparkle in her eyes whenever she looked at him, in a different and sweeter way than she'd ever looked at him before.

"So, do you want to go somewhere?" she asked after school.

"Oh...well, um, I promised Axel I'd go somewhere with him today, so..."

Her face fell.

"I'll call you when I get home, though," he said hurriedly. "O...Okay?"

She smiled again and hugged him. "Okay."

Axel eventually showed up with his best friend Saïx, who looked grim as usual except for...

"Why do you have a teddy bear?" Roxas wanted to know.

"Because Axel will neither carry it nor let me throw it away," Saïx grumbled.

"You can't chuck a girl's present where she can _see_ you do it!" Axel exclaimed indignantly, though there was a teasing sparkle in his eyes as well.

"We're no longer at school. There's a trash can." Saïx took a purposeful step towards it, but Roxas curiously plucked the bear out of his arm before he could get far.

"It's cute," Roxas remarked clinically. "She made it blue just like your hair, and it's even got your scars. Why'd some girl give you a bear that looks like you, Saïx?"

"It's a fad," Saïx said in exasperation. "People at our school have started making them for whoever they have a crush on. The giver's feelings will _supposedly_ be reciprocated if the bear is named after her - or him, - but of course it's all superstitious nonsense and I'd sooner name that thing after a teacher than the girl who actually gave it to me."

"Sultana-sensei _is_ kind of hot," Axel mused, earning an annoyed glare from his friend.

Roxas thoughtfully hugged the Saïx-bear. "Axel," he said, "I don't wanna go shopping anymore. I want to make a bear for Xion."

"Huh? But you can't sew."

"Can you teach me?"

Axel burst into laughter. "Roxas, _I_ can't sew, either." Then a glint came into his eye that made Saïx say firmly, "NO," but Axel ignored him and added, "I know someone who can, though."

"No, you don't," Saïx snapped.

"You know someone who can teach me how to sew?" Roxas asked eagerly.

"Yup!"

"He does _not_."

"Oh, come on, Sai, I was sitting right next to you when you fixed Isa's dress."

"Repairing a torn hem and constructing a stuffed animal are two entirely different things," Saïx grumbled in a low voice.

Roxas gaped at him. "Wait, _you_ can sew, Saïx?"

"I can MAKE REPAIRS. It's not a _hobby_."

"But you still know more than us," Axel wheedled. "C'monnnnn, Sai. Pleeeeaaaase, please please please? Please?"

"Where'd you learn how to sew?" Roxas burst out in great amusement, though he shut up pretty quickly at the muttered reply.

"From my mother before she died. Since she was bedridden those last few months, sewing and reading where the only ways I could spend time with her."

"Ummm...oh."

Axel slung his arms around them both. "I'll pay for the supplies, okay? _And_ I'll buy you ice cream to make up for your manhood-shriveling loss of dignity, how does that sound?"

Saïx glared again. "...It's too cold for ice cream."

"So you _won't_ eat it if I buy it for you?"

"I didn't say that."

The three of them ended up at the brothers' dining room table an hour or two later, tracing bear pieces onto fuzzy cloth and cutting them out. Roxas was rather proud of their progress until it came time to do the actual sewing. "Um...Saïx, the thread won't stay on the needle."

Saïx looked over, and his eyes widened a little. "You should have inserted the thread through the eye of the needle. Of course it's going to keep slipping off if you just tie it onto the end."

"Needles have eyes?" Roxas said in confusion.

"That little hole at the top," Axel said, a little proud of the fact that he wasn't _completely_ clueless.

"Huh? _What_ hole?"

Saïx sighed and scooted closer. "Hold the needle up to the light. Do you see that very small hole at the top?"

"Uhhhh..."

"This is ridiculous... You're holding it upside-down. Flip it over."

Man, sewing was complicated. Roxas finally figured out what they were talking about.

"_Finally_. Now you need to insert the thread into the needle's eye."

Roxas stared at him like he was crazy. "I can't stick this into _that_, it's way too small!"

"Lick the end of it first," Saïx suggested.

Now both brothers were staring at him.

"Will you stop looking at me like that? It sharpens the end and makes it easier to thread." He sucked briefly on the end of the thread in his own hand, concentrated for a second or two, and suddenly he was tugging a long length of thread out from the other side of the needle, clearly _somehow_ having managed to get the thread through the needle's tiny eye.

"How did you do that!" Roxas and Axel yelled in unison.

"We should have bought a threader, too," Saïx grumbled, "I didn't even think of that. Look..." He explained some more, but the brothers were hopeless at it and he finally threaded both their needles for them himself.

"Man, sewing's hard," Roxas complained as he twirled the successfully-threaded needle.

"You haven't even started sewing yet, and don't do that, you'll tangle the thread and it won't go cleanly through the fabric."

It was soon after that when they decided to stop for the evening, since they wouldn't be able to finish the project in one sitting. Saïx stayed for dinner and then left; Roxas surveyed their progress so far. "You think she'll like it, Axel?"

"Yeah, girls always like handmade stuff, she'll love it."

"I dunno, I think the pieces for the arms and legs and stuff are different sizes from each other..."

"She'll love it."

Roxas was in much better spirits the next morning, with the knowledge that he had a Christmas gift for Xion in the works (which he had found difficult to keep quiet about while on the phone with her after dinner). Xion seemed to appreciate his smiles, and they lingered together as much as they could between classes, talking about everything except the Christmas they were not going to be able to spend together.

"So, um, are you busy again today, or...?" she asked hesitantly as they were walking out to the front gates after dismissal.

"Uhhhhhh- Um, yeah, I'm busy, but...um...I can walk you home, okay?"

He looked at her anxiously, and she finally gave him a small (though slightly sad) smile. "Okay."

Roxas practically ran home afterwards, so eager was he to get to back to work, and forgot that Axel and Saïx's dismissal time was later than his. "Argh! I need help!"

They arrived soon enough, though Saïx spent most of his time doing the homework he'd fallen behind on and only giving assistance when they bugged him about it.

"Saïx, _please_!" Roxas said in exasperation. "This is taking WAY longer than I thought it would, and there's not a lot of time left!"

"Apologies for putting my grades before the recreational construction of toys," Saïx said coldly, but eventually was pestered into laying his textbooks aside and bestowing more active instruction.

All too soon, the last day of school before the holidays came, and Roxas had not quite completed his project, though the other two had been able to finish theirs the night before. ("Axel, why _are_ you making one, anyway? You don't have a girlfriend at the moment." "It's my Christmas present to you, Sai! Duh." "Axel, if you give that thing to me, I will _burn_ it.") Frantic, Roxas shoved the incomplete bear and sewing supplies into his school bag and met Xion more apprehensively than usual.

She took his hand as they walked across the courtyard. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just...I'm gonna miss you, Xion."

"Ohhh..." She stopped and put her arms around him. He held her close and wished they could stay like that for a lot longer than they actually did, but the bell rang and they had to get to class.

_'What am I gonna do?'_ he thought all through homeroom. Xion's parents were going to pick her up from school and go straight to the airport. He was out of time, unless he could somehow finish it here at school...

Although the teachers were letting them slack off since it was the last day before vacation, Xion was still _in_ most of his classes, so he couldn't do anything about it then, or at lunch. During his last period, though, the teacher just handed out a holiday-themed crossword puzzle and let everyone do whatever they wanted the rest of the time. Maybe he could...

"Oooh, Roxas, that is so _cute_!"

"_Ha_ ha, don't tell me you're making one of those stupid bears, loser."

"Is it for Xion? I bet it's for Xion, right?"

"Of course it's for Xion, moron; they're going out now."

"Hee, he's cute...kinda lopsided, though..."

"Hey, I wanna make one, too! Can I borrow some of that, Roxas?"

Trying to get work done while being pestered by his classmates was a huge pain, but Roxas persevered. Finally they all shut up and left him alone, but now the teacher was coming over and saying his name in concern. "Roxas?"

"Ssshhh, I'm almost done!" he cried frantically.

"Roxas, the bell rang."

"What?" He finally looked up at the teacher, who gave him an odd smile.

"School's out, Roxas. Go home, have fun, it's your vacation."

Roxas stared at her. "No."

"Pardon?"

"I...I'm not-" He stared at the bear in his hands. "Xion!" Leaping up, he shoved everything into his bag and ran.

She wasn't in their usual meeting spot, wasn't in the courtyard; he rushed to her last class in desperation and found out that she'd been picked up a little early, shortly before dismissal. She was already gone. "NO!"

He hurried back down the hall, digging out his cell phone to call Axel. No answer; his brother was still in class. "Aaarrrggghhhh!"

By the time Roxas got to the high school, the students had been released. He waded amongst the sea of uniforms that differed from his own, avoiding delighted girls who kept reaching out to pinch his cheeks or fluff his hair, searching desperately for any sign of his brother's distinctive red spikes (or Saïx's blue; he wasn't going to be picky at this point). "Axel!" Roxas rushed up to them breathlessly.

"Rox!" Axel exclaimed in surprise. "What's up? You don't look so good."

"Xion," Roxas gasped out, suddenly near tears. "I didn't finish and I missed her and now she's _gone_ and I can't give it to her."

Axel made an incoherent noise and gripped hard at Saïx's shoulder.

"Yes, I'll drive you," Saïx sighed in resignation. "Come on."

Roxas managed to tie the last knot in the thread while in the car on the way to the airport. His bear looked like a horrible lump, but whatever; at least it was still vaguely bear-shaped and he had made it with his own two hands so Xion would like it, right? "It's so ugly." Girls liked pretty things, too. "She'll hate it. I should throw it away. I can't see her. I'm a loser."

"Roxas, cut it out," Axel snapped, seeming a little agitated himself. "Saïx, drive faster."

"I'm not going to break speed limits even for you. Or your brother, or his girlfriend, or his bear."

"Then let me drive!"

"You don't even have your license yet, get away from me!"

Roxas and Axel spilled out of the car as soon as Saïx pulled up into the unloading lane, sprinting for the doors together. "Please, please, please don't let her have left yet," Roxas panted, gripping Roxas the Bear tight in one hand.

There she was. Standing with her parents and a bunch of luggage. "Xion!" he shouted.

Her head snapped over her shoulder. "Roxas!" she cried, her eyes wide; then she was running to meet him.

He grabbed her and held her tight, for longer than he meant to. When he finally pulled back, he saw that there were tears in her eyes, but she was smiling hugely. His own face kind of felt the same. "I'm...glad you came," she managed to say. "I didn't get to see you at school, I thought..."

"I almost didn't finish," he said, and pushed the bear at her. "Oops. Um, I didn't wrap it, I forgot... Um, his name's Roxas. He's for you."

She stared at the lump of stuffed fabric.

"Oh yeah, um, see, Saïx says if you give the one you love a bear named after you, they'll love you back, or something like that..."

She slowly reached up to grasp Roxas (the Bear) in both hands.

"He's your Christmas present. He's kind of lame, though. I can't sew."

"He's beautiful," she whispered, then flung her arms around him and burst into tears. "Thank you, Roxas, I- I can't- I love you _so much_."

"I love you, too," he whispered. "I'll miss you."

In one of the seats nearby, a little girl with blonde hair and a blue dress was sitting all alone in a forlorn sort of way. She watched them wistfully, as if she had no one to share such warmth with.

Farther away, also watching, Axel grinned and Saïx folded his arms in quiet satisfaction. "I'm glad we made it."

"Such a strange thing, love," Saïx murmured. "That has to be the ugliest teddy bear I've ever seen, yet she looks delighted."

"I dunno, I think mine kind of gives it a run for its munny."

Saïx glanced at him, then suddenly backed away when Axel brandished his own creation at him. "Merry Christmas, Sai! His name's Axel, and he's all for you."

"You were right," Saïx snapped, "yours _does_ beat his for the ugliest bear I've ever seen. Get that repellant thing away from me."

"Awwww, but I worked so _hard_ to make him!"

"I warned you what would happen if you gave it to me."

"I don't see any lighters around, do you~?" Axel sang, tossing the bear.

"Does the one you undoubtedly have in your pocket count?" Saïx grumbled as he caught the toy. He didn't even bother to consider the option - trying to get that lighter from Axel by force would cause far more trouble than it would be worth. Instead, he surveyed the airport and caught sight of the lonely little girl still watching Roxas and Xion's warm embrace. Saïx strode over and thrust Axel the Bear at her. "Here."

The girl jerked a little and stared up at him in astonishment. "I beg your pardon?" Her voice was rather cultured and proper for someone who looked so young.

"His name is Axel. You can have him."

Slowly, she reached up to grasp the toy and stared at it for a moment before suddenly wrapping Axel in her arms. "Ohhh...he is lovely. Thank you ever so much," she said, her eyes shining.

Saïx went back over to the real Axel (who was laughing) and gave him a smug look. "Looks like you'll have to go shopping after all."

"Man, all that work for some random kid I've never seen in my life before. What'd you do with Saïx, anyway?"

"What?"

"Saïx the Bear," Axel clarified.

"Oh..."

**Several hours earlier:**

"Sultana-sensei?"

Jasmine looked over from the sheet music she was stacking and smiled. "You need something, Saïx?" The dismissal bell had rung, and her other students were piling noisily out of the room.

"I had to make it as a demonstration, but it is no longer needed for that purpose. There is no one for me to give it to. If you don't want it, feel free to throw it away, and its name is NOT Saïx." He placed a slightly lopsided but still cute handmade teddy bear on top of the piano.

Jasmine gasped in highly amused delight. "Ohhhh, you made this for me, sweetie?"

"I _did not_. I hope your holidays are enjoyable; I'll see you next semester." Saïx turned and marched out of the room without waiting for an answer.

She laughed again and picked up the bear to admire and cuddle. "Thanks, kiddo," she said fondly, stroking absently along one rounded ear. "Ooooh, look at those cute little gold eyes, just like Rajah's..."

o.o.o

Author's Notes: HA HA, lamest excuse for a RokuShi fic ever. *headdesk* Diehard freaking fangirl for my OTP... Lol for Shadowless Princess couples, too. *smile/sweatdrop*

Anyway, I think this is my first fic - except for the full-length version of _Fire & Moonlight_'s "Fell From The Sky" theme, which isn't posted yet - where I've managed to write Roxas & Xion in a romantic context instead of as siblings. I do prefer them as siblings, it's just that I wanted to try SOMETHING romancey with them, since RokuShi is my favorite ship for both Roxas and Xion. RokuNami just doesn't do it for me, even though Roxas keeps latching onto her rather than Olette which I'd prefer. And Riku/Xion is fine, especially in AUs, but RokuShi makes more sense... Ah, whatever; mission accomplished. Now I can go back to writing them as siblings. XD

Btw, **the idea of giving a teddy bear named after yourself to the person you have a crush on** is from a manga series which I no longer wish to associate myself with... If you're already familiar with it, you'll recognize it; if not, just know that **I did not come up with the concept**.

I also want to thank Mirae-no-sekai for getting me back on track with SaiJaz - I think I was letting it get too out of hand (in currently unpublished stuff), but seeing the lovely way she wrote it in _Nighttime Sortie_ was kind of a model that helped me get it right again. :)


	3. Valentine's Date

**Lights in Shadow: Valentine's Date (rough draft)**

**A Kingdom Hearts fanfic by Raberba girl**

_For Valentine's Day, 14 February 2013_

Summary: Roxas & Xion can't be with their Significant Others on February 14th...but who's to say they can't have a Valentine's date anyway? Platonic RokuShi.

A/N: Random modern AU. Rox & Xi are maybe 15 or 16. AkuRokuShi are all siblings.

o.o.o

"Valentine's Day is stupid," Roxas declared, dropping on top of his sister.

Xion grunted, but didn't move from where she was lying on her bed watching a movie. "No, it's not," she said listlessly, eyes fixed on the screen where Robin Hood was gently slipping a flower ring onto Maid Marian's finger. "It just feels bad this year because Riku and Kairi are gone."

"Blarrrrgh."

They lay there for a while, watching silently. Xion finally heaved Roxas off of her. He rolled onto his back, continuing to watch upside-down. Then he got tired of being upside-down and wriggled over to lie on his stomach.

After a while, Axel poked his head in (a little apprehensively), all dressed up in a suit. "Hey..."

"Hi, Axel," Xion said. Roxas stuck his tongue out at him.

"You gonna be okay?"

"It's Valentine's Day and my girlfriend is halfway across the country," Roxas pouted. "I think that'd be a NO."

The look on Axel's face...

"Ignore him, Axel, he's dumb," Xion said quickly. "Go enjoy your date, we'll be fine."

"Okay...but..."

"Go have fuuuun," Roxas ordered, still sulky. "I'll just sit here at home with _Xion_."

"What's wrong with sitting here at home with _me_?" Xion challenged, this time rolling on top of him.

"Oof, you're heavy."

"You were heavier."

"Whatever."

She was now in a prime position to flick his ear repeatedly, so she did so.

"Cut it out!"

"Aw, you'd rather I squish your hair?"

"_No_!"

Axel laughed. "You kids have fun watching Disney movies and annoying each other."

"We will."

"If we don't die of boredom first."

"They'll be back in town again soon enough," Axel said soothingly.

"It won't be Valentine's Day. It won't be the _same_."

"What, you can't show Kairi how much you love her unless it's February fourteenth?"

"No..."

"I was talking to Riku this morning," Xion said quietly. "He said he tries to treat me as if every day is Valentine's Day. And he pretty much does, you know? I'd rather get little special moments every day than something huge special just once a year."

"...I guess," Roxas muttered.

Axel was still watching them, and Xion smiled a little. "You can go now. Honestly, we'll be fine."

After the movie ended, both siblings gave long sighs as they stretched, then lay down again silently in a state of mild depression.

"...You know," Xion finally said, "it's not so bad not having a Valentine's Day, it's more that...I know that all over the country, people are with their boyfriends and girlfriends, but me...I'm alone. I know he loves me, but I'm still alone."

"Hey, you're not _completely_ alone," Roxas objected. "I'm here."

She smiled. "Yeah." They reached out to lay their arms across each other affectionately. The DVD menu's looping had just started to get annoying when Xion suddenly sat up. "Roxas!"

"What?"

"Neither of us are alone! We have each other!"

"Duh."

"Take me out on a date," she said eagerly.

"Huh?"

"You can't do anything with Kairi and I can't do anything with Riku, but that doesn't mean we can't go out, right? Let's go eat dinner at some fancy restaurant like we're on a Valentine's date!"

"Okay." Roxas got up and went to find his keys and wallet, then waited by the door. Xion didn't come, and he got impatient. "Xion!" he yelled. "Hurry up!" There was no answer, so he went to look for her. When he opened her bedroom door, he was surprised to see her rummaging through her closet, wearing a nice skirt and nothing on top but a bra.

Xion gave a little shriek and hurled a shoe at him. It was one of her _high heels_. Roxas hurriedly closed the door again. "Roxas, you _idiot_! How many times have I _told_ you; don't barge in without knocking first!"

"Sorry! I forget."

"Go away!"

"Why are you changing clothes?"

"I can't go out to dinner in a T-shirt and sweatpants!" There was a pause. "Don't tell me you're going out in _that_!"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Roxas! You're taking me out on a date!"

"Yeah?"

"Ugh! Wear what you'd wear for Kairi."

"Why?"

Xion yanked the door open again, a thunderous look on her face as she raised the shoe high.

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" He went and put on a suit, and Xion helped him tie his tie like always, and then he was allowed to get his keys and wallet again. "Can we go now?"

"Yes," Xion said.

She looked really pretty, in that skirt and with her hair put up nice like how she did for Riku. It suddenly occurred to Roxas that if this was Kairi, he would have complimented her. "Xion, you look really pretty."

She stared at him. "Really?"

"Yeah."

She smiled. "You look very handsome, too, Roxas."

Now it was his turn to be surprised. "I do?"

"Yes. You look nice when you dress up."

"Oh." He looked down at himself, feeling strangely pleased. Maybe this date thing really was a good idea. "Come on." He held out his arm and escorted her down the front walk and opened the car door for her, just as if she was his girlfriend. It was kind of fun. She seemed to think so, too, since her eyes were sparkling. He liked seeing her like that. "So where are we going, anyway?"

"Um...I dunno...Rossetti's?"

"Okay."

The maitre-d' gave them a weird look when Roxas said they didn't have reservations. "I...I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid we have no unreserved tables available."

"Really?" Roxas craned to look over her shoulder at all the people in the restaurant. "Huh. I guess everyone's here for Valentine's Day."

The maitre-d' gave Xion a pitying look, and seemed surprised when the girl laughed. "We should have known better, Roxas. Come on, let's go somewhere not fancy, maybe there'll be more room."

"Okay." So they drove to Bucky's instead, and sat there in their suit and fancy skirt, eating hamburgers and fries and laughing about the usual stupid stuff they liked to talk about.

"You think Aqua's ever seen Axel without his hair all gelled up?"

"I dunno. We should take a picture while he's sleeping and show her."

"Ooh! No, I know, put his hair in a bunch of braids and ribbons when he's sleeping and _then_ show her."

"Heh, he'll kill us..."

Roxas ordered a slice of chocolate pie and carved it into a heart shape, sliding the result toward Xion and saving the excised bits for himself. "Because girls should get chocolate on Valentine's Day."

"D'aww, you're so sweet, Roxas."

"And flowers, too." Roxas looked around as if he expected some flowers to magically appear.

"You don't have to, Roxas."

"We'll find some later."

They went to the flower shop afterwards, but it was closed, so then they tried the grocery store, and all the roses were sold out but Xion pointed to a purple iris. Roxas bought it and tried to put it in her hair. It fell out. She laughed and picked it up and slipped it back in and fastened it with her hair clip to hold it in place. "There."

"Now you're prettier," Roxas noted.

"Thank you." She bought a tulip and stuck it in his breast pocket. "So are you."

Roxas looked down at the flower. "Oh."

Then they bought ice cream and walked along eating it, Roxas with his arm around his sister's waist to hold her close because it was cold.

"I miss those days," an old lady sighed nostalgically as they passed her.

"What days?" Roxas asked.

She smiled. "When my husband and I could walk hand in hand like that, as if we didn't have a care in the world."

"Why can't you do that now?" Xion asked in concern.

The woman shook her head, still smiling a little. "Life has a way of not going according to plan."

Roxas and Xion stood gazing at her for a moment. Then Roxas took the flower out of his pocket and held it out, and Xion kissed her cheek after she had taken it, and the lady hugged them both and cried a little.

"That was dumb," Roxas said hotly after they had talked for a little while and gone on their way again. "She was nice. Why would any jerk leave her like that?"

"It's sad," Xion murmured.

Roxas squeezed her hand. "I won't ever leave you, Xion."

She smiled. "You can't. You're my brother."

He smiled back. "Yeah. Even if I _wanted_ to break up with you, I couldn't, because I'm stuck with you for life."

"Hope you don't mind too much," she said, kissing his cheek.

He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tight. "Nope. Love you, Xion."

"Love you, too, Roxas. Forever."

"Yeah."

They smiled at each other and continued on.

o.o.o

Author's Notes: RokuShi is so freaking cute... I _love_ it platonic, but have come to dislike RokuShi romance. I don't mind it in fanart if it's light, but I much prefer my babies to be twins instead. Anyway, this plot bunny was like a perfect expression of both my platonic RokuShi, and the most 'romance' I can tolerate without getting dissatisfied. XD

I was gonna make Naminé Roxas's girlfriend by default like usual, but then I was like, "No! You know what, I'mma pick someone different this time!" So I randomly chose Kairi. Figures that Roxas would only not bother to argue against a non-Xion-or-Naminé girlfriend when he never actually has to share any screentime with her. XD *punches Roxas in the shoulder* Let me ship you with other people, dang it! I'm tired of RokuNami, and you don't even like dating Xi! You're not even particularly interested in Naminé, either, you just pitch a fit whenever someone tries to make you deviate from your habits! *pout*

By the way, I offer my deepest apologies for not responding to messages or reading very much... Real life has been really stressful, particularly because of health and financial issues, and I've been overwhelmed. I've been talking to people a bit more on DevArt, but not by much. I'm sorry, guys. ;; I'm hoping that things will get better after Valentine's Day, or at least after February. *sigh*

I still have a (platonic) Riku/Naminé fic to post, and if I work REALLY HARD, maybe I can post a few other Valentine's fics before midnight, too. 8'D


	4. Theme 17

Introduction: Apparently I'm addicted to theme lists, so I couldn't resist when I first heard about the 100ThemesChallenge group a year or so ago. XD Variation 3 was the list that looked the most interesting to me. I'd considered taking on the challenge for Kadaj, Riku, & their family, but after discovering that it's more difficult than it looks to finish theme challenges, I decided not to confine myself to a single topic. And I'm interested in so _many_ challenges, I'm not going to stress about finishing most of them, I'll just work on them as I have inspiration. For this list, I'm leaving it open for any fanfiction, any artwork, and any original stories (though I don't post my original stories online, it's just for my personal satisfaction).

I know that my stories are very disorganized because more and more of them could fit into more than one series, so categorizing them can be problematic. This is why I'm trying to sort it all out on LiveJournal... The "headcanon" entry is still under construction, but the "writing challenges" entry should be good, I've been careful to keep track of things there.

_**Lights in Shadow**_**, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic series by Raberba girl**

**List of themes**** by ****DavisJes, Variation 3 for the 100ThemesChallenge group on deviantART**

**17. Vampire (rough draft)**

_Roxas/Xion Day, 20 June 2013_

Summary: She's not going to be able to just stand by and keep watching this for much longer.

o.o.o

He looked _awful_. Xion nearly cried when she saw poor Roxas that morning, shuffling into the Grey Area looking as pale and weary as if he hadn't slept in a week. He smelled a little, like he'd been too tired to shower, and there was a small bit of blood still crusted in his wild hair from the last battle he'd been in. She _knew_ he'd been eating like a horse lately, because she was usually right there watching him do it - yet he looked thin and gaunt, his hips seeming sharper even through the thick fabric of his coat.

He came and practically fell onto the couch next to her, leaning his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes. "Mornin', Xi..."

"Good morning, Roxas," she whispered. After a moment, she lifted two fingers and touched them gently to his neck, right over a vein where someone with fangs could easily access his blood. He didn't make a flicker of response. _'Vampires _are_ real,'_ she thought. _'Maybe not the kind in books. I'm sure Axel's right about that. But the kind who suck and suck and suck all the strength and life out of her best friend, getting stronger as he starts dying...those kind of vampires exist, and I'm one of them.'_ She was worse than a doll - she was a monster.

She let Roxas rest for a while, not knowing what else to do, but the morning drew on and Saïx started glaring at them and she knew they had to get to work. "C'mon, Roxas."

He didn't move.

"Roxas?" She shook him a little, and realized that he hadn't just been resting, he'd actually fallen into a deep sleep. "Roxas!" It took a while, and a lot of shaking, but she finally managed to rouse him. He sat still on the couch, staring like a zombie.

"Roxas...hey." She took out an Elixir and pressed it into his hands. When his only response was to curl his fingers around it a little, she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. His hands tightened on the bottle, and he blinked and finally focused on her.

"Take care of yourself, Roxas," she said softly. "Okay?"

"Mm...okay, Xion." He looked down at the Elixir, smiled a little, and put it in his backpack. "Thanks."

_'You're not even going to drink it yet?'_

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Uh..."

"Flaming pants, how'd it get so late?!"

"Well, you fell asleep..."

"Man, it might take too long to finish again... Hey, Xion."

"Yeah?"

"If I can't make it to the cock tower, come hang out in my room when I RTC, okay? You guys never come anymore, I kind of miss you."

_'We _do_ come. But you're always asleep. And that's my fault.'_ "Okay, Roxas. I'll be there." _'This time, I'll just go straight to your room and wait until you come and see us before you fall asleep.'_

"Don't forget snacks."

"I won't."

He gave her a tired smile and then went to go get his mission brief.

_'I hate this,'_ she thought as she watched him leave. _'I hate seeing you waste away. It hurts just to watch.'_ "I have to do something," she whispered. "Whatever it takes, Roxas...if it'll save you, I will do it."

o.o.o

Author's Notes: There's a scene in the Grey Area, near the end of the game when Roxas is tired all the time, where Xion's worried about him and gives him an Elixir. (It's not a cutscene; you have to go up and talk to her before you start your mission.) It's cute and sad at the same time.

Themes like "vampire" are difficult for me, but it forces me to be creative and usually it turns out all right. ^^; This drabble is sad, though...I don't like sad things. :'(

Complete: 1/100


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